West refused to unfreeze Venezuelan funds for vaccine purchase: President

EU nations and the United States have refused Venezuela's request to unfreeze its assets, so that the sanctions-hit country could purchase a coronavirus vaccine, President Nicolas Maduro has said.

"The governments of Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the US and their financial institutions have frozen and blocked funds for access to a vaccine. We demanded via the WTO that they provide us with access to funds, and we were refused," Maduro told a meeting on health care on Sunday.

He added that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez had held talks with these countries' foreign ministers, but they had refused the request.

As part of attempts to oust Maduro, the US and other Western countries that endorsed opposition leader Juan Guaido have slapped sanctions on Venezuela and frozen its assets abroad.